Robert Rodriguez in Talks to Direct DEADPOOL Starring Ryan Reynolds

Last month, we reported that 20th Century Fox had offered director Robert Rodriguez (Sin City) the chance to helm the super-antihero flick Deadpool starring Ryan Reynolds. Today, 24 Frames reports that Rodriguez and Fox are in negotiations and that “the sides need to agree on a number of key points, but it’s moved beyond the casual discussion stage and into the more substantive realm of deal points.” Rodriguez is currently at work on Spy Kids 4 and has Machete coming out on September 3rd.

Working from a script by Zombielandwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, Rodriguez seems like a perfect fit for the comedy-action movie Deadpool would be. But remember, X-Men Origins: Wolverine had Oscar-winner Gavin Hood at the helm with David Benioff (25th Hour) credited as one of the screenwriters. At least we can rest easy knowing that Deadpool won’t acknowledge the events of Wolverine. Hit the jump to learn more about the character of Deadpool.

Here’s a brief bio on the character via Wikipedia:

Wade Wilson was dying from cancer when the Weapon X program offered him a chance for a cure. Undergoing procedures which attempted to recreate the healing factor of Weapon X (aka Wolverine), Wilson’s cancer went into overdrive, scarring him externally and neurologically. Wilson was left in a near-catatonic state; he was deemed a failure and was sent to a facility where rejects of the Weapon Plus program were locked away. While there, he became the subject of betting among the other inmates in what was known as the dead pool. In this game, the inmates gambled on whom the warden would kill next; Wilson had been chosen as a test subject for the warden’s various experiments and was given high odds for death. Wilson survived, however; eventually the healing factor manifested itself and, though still scarred and insane, he mustered enough lucidity to escape. Wilson thereafter used his abilities to become a renowned – if unstable – mercenary, taking the name of Deadpool to reflect the odds that he beat.

The character’s back-story has been presented as vague and subject to change, and within the narrative he is unable to remember his personal history due to his mental condition. Whether or not his name was even Wade Wilson is subject to speculation since one of his nemeses, T-Ray, claims in Deadpool #23 that he is the real Wade Wilson and that Deadpool is a vicious murderer who stole his identity. There have been other dubious stories about his history – at one point the supervillain Loki claimed to be his father. Frequently, revelations are later retconned or ignored altogether, and in one issue, Deadpool himself joked that whether he is actually Wade Wilson depends on who happens to be writing the comics at the time.